Organized labor should reconsider the amount it seeks as minimum pay, according to the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum pay.
Goni Aji, the committee chairman, stated on Sunday in Abuja that labor should reevaluate its position in light of the financial benefits and non-financial incentives that the Federal Government has already offered to employees.
He mentioned a number of these incentives, such as the N35,000 wage reward for all federal employees who get funding from the Treasury and the N100 billion purchase of gas-powered buses and their conversion to gas kits.
According to him, such measures include the N125 billion conditional grant, financial inclusion for small and medium-sized businesses, and the N25,000 apiece that would be distributed to 15 million households over the course of three months.
He also mentioned the N200 billion to promote the cultivation of hectares of land to increase food production, and the N185 billion in palliative loans to states to lessen the impact of the cessation of fuel subsidies.
He claimed that N1 trillion will be used for student loans for higher education, and another N75 billion would be used to support the manufacturing sector.
He mentioned the purchase and subsequent distribution of 60,000 metric tonnes of rice to the millers association, as well as the release of 42,000 metric tonnes of grains from strategic stockpiles.
Goni pleaded with organized labor to accept the N62,000 being offered by the federal government and to take into account the recent salary increases of 25% and 35% on all consolidated salary structures for federal workers as well as the 90% health cost subsidy for federal civil servants enrolled in the health insurance program.
He said that the light rail system in Abuja, which was put into service to reduce transportation expenses through the end of the year, was a historic accomplishment that would lessen the impact of the elimination of fuel subsidies.
He declared that “the Federal Government has approved the inclusion of ICT services for alternate sources of income, in addition to the freedom of civil servants to engage in agriculture.”
He said the committee decided that a new minimum wage should not result in further significant job losses in areas where major and small enterprises were closing and creating jobs as a result.
He went on to say that it was unfair to the negotiating parties to relate the walkout to increases in electricity costs while determining wages.
While organized labor demands a minimum salary of N250,000 per month, the Federal Government and Organized Private Sector are willing to pay N62,000 instead.
NAN
